Nicola Sturgeon is to hold another briefing today to discuss the current state of the pandemic in Scotland.
It comes after the First Minister made an unplanned announcement before Parliament on Thursday asking people to stay home "much more than you normally would" and limit interactions outside of their household.
The country is currently seeing a spike in covid cases linked to the omicron variant which was expected to become the most dominant strain from today.
Scotland recorded a further 5,951 cases yesterday with 45.5% linked to the new strain which has an R number of around 4.
Due to the number of cases, the current trajectory of the variant could lead to hospitals becoming overwhelmed, it has been warned.
The Scottish Government has also brought in new legal guidance for businesses that came into force from today. The rules require businesses, places of worship, and anyone providing a service to limit the spread of the variant as much as possible.
What developments have taken place this week so far
- On Thursday, the First Minister asked people to stay at home "much more than you normally would" and limit interactions outside of their household
- Omicron accounted for nearly 50% of all new cases on Thursday - up from 27.5% on Tuesday of the same week - the new variant is more transmissible than any variant that has gone before
- Omicron is spreading faster than the vaccination programme can keep up with and has a doubling time of two to three days
- Ms Sturgeon has raised fears that the NHS could become overwhelmed if we 'don't act now'
- The 'surging level' of infection could impact the economy as more people will be off work with illness and to isolate
- All over 18s can now register for a booster
- Scotland is currently the most vaccinated part of the UK
- Businesses must take measures to reduce transmission including putting up protective screens, avoid crowding at bars and between tables and collect contact details for contact tracing
- Employers should enable staff to work from home
Nicola Sturgeon will be holding a covid briefing this afternoon (Friday 17) at 12.15pm. Follow our live blog for updates throughout the day and briefing.
